Battlefield of the Blind Eternities
by Kevinthejace
Summary: The Blind Eternities is a wasteland ravaged by the ancient Phyrexians. Farm land and water is scarce. Five countries, vying to support their growing populations, are in a constant five-way war. When Jace Beleren is hurled through time after an unsuccessful attempt at treachery, the world he once knew is turned upside down. Whether for better or worse, who's to say?
1. Chapter 1: A World of War

The Blind Eternities is a place ravaged by war of ancient times. Most of the infinite land is uninhabitable. Farmland is scarce and fresh water is scarcer. Only five realms are known to exist.

The Democracy of Theros, a government for the people where all the best warriors are forged. The Vryn Bureaucracy, a cold and unforgiving political sphere filled with adepts at magic. The Empire of Dominaria, a force of sheer ambition and power. The Kaladesh Consulate, a country of artisans and pyromancers full of creativity. And the Vastwood Clans, roaming the wilds to further advance their connections with the land.

The battlefield wasteland in between them is a place of constant five-way war.

Then, there are the heirs. Gideon Jura and Elspeth Tirel are both an immovable rock and an unstoppable force. Jace Beleren is of archmage level when it comes to magic and a demon with the rapier. Lady Liliana Vess and Sir Josu are both forces of destruction to be reckoned with. Chandra Nalaar is a master in pyromancy and artifice alike. While Nissa Revane is in tune with all the forces of the land.

* * *

"Vrynians! Charge!"

Here was the beginning. A battlefield. A clash with Dominaria. Jace led his troops into battle on foot as was customary with a rapier user. The Vrynians were made up of mostly mages, who wore very elaborate blue and silver clothing. The Dominarians were clad in pitch black armor and their faces were covered by Phyrexian masks. Phyrexians are said to be demons who ravaged the land, creating the wasteland before them today. Luckily, the Weatherlight Crew, a group of powerful mages, finished them off before they had no where left to live.

The next few hours were a blur to Jace. Just blood, killing and screams of rage, fear and pain. War.

The battle raged all through the night. Vrynians holding on with magic and Dominarians holding on with numbers.

By sun rise, At least 95% of each side's forces had been devastated.

Jace was tired, hungry and losing his will to stand. He'd gotten multiple wounds during the battle and they certainly weren't helping. He collapsed. As his eyes closed, he caught the faintest sight of a woman on a black horse headed in his direction.

Jace returned to consciousness, seemingly, as quickly as he had lost it.

His pain was gone. The downside is that he was in a prison cell. Antimagic for that matter.

"So you're finally awake." A voice echoed from behind the shadows cast by the dim torch light.

Jace closed his eyes and reopened them under an enchantment of night vision. It was a Domiarian warden.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the most secure prison in Dominaria. As the heir of the main chair in the Vryn Bureaucracy, we couldn't treat you like any normal P.O.W."

"Your consideration of secure is Antimagic bars?"

"No. This is just in case. The real security is outside in the form of deadly traps, force walls and other prisoners."

"So what, are you gonna kill me? Demand ransom?"

"Well, that was the original plan, but her majesty Princess Liliana demanded to see you."

"And that's why you're here. Make sure I don't break out in a fit of magic."

"Unfortunately, no. She wanted to visit you in a dignified manner. Put these on. You'll be joining you for dinner."

The warden tossed folded clothes onto the floor of the cell.

"Hang on, these are Vrynian."

"Her majesty takes heavy interest in other cultures."

* * *

Jace, escorted by a battalion of Dominarian soldiers, entered a grand dining hall. It was lit by candelabras and chandeliers.

A long wooden table sat in the center of the room. At one end, was a girl. A raven haired, porcelain skinned girl with alluring purple eyes and blood red lips. Jace assumed she was Liliana. She was pleasantly having a cup of tea, decked out in marauder's armor. Next to her, was a man who looked awfully similar to Liliana, but he was staring at Jace with eyes of death. He turned to Liliana.

"Sister, I'd very much advise against this."

"Oh, hush Josu. If he attacks, you can kill him. But for now, I want to meet him."

Jace took a seat at the other end of the table. He folded his hands and set his elbows on the table, eyes narrowing as he looked to either of them.

"It's rude to put your elbows on the table, you know," Liliana said.

"No, no," Jace responded, "This is just my 'how am I going to kill two imperial family members today' face."

The guards and Josu drew their weapons. Liliana chuckled.

"Put your weapons down. We're not here to kill people with bad manners."

The guards obeyed. Josu stilled seemed on edge.

"So, may I ask, to what do I owe this pleasant meeting?"

"Good question, Lord Beleren. I assume you know who we are."

"Indeed I do."

"Good. Well, we are here to negotiate a treaty. We want to make an alliance with the Bureaucracy. Besides, according to your laws of Arcana, we're allied colors of magic."

"How much do you know about Vryn Culture, your majesty?"

"More than you would think, my lord."

"Cool. So, what are the political reasons you want to make an alliance?"

"I'm sorry?"

"No one makes an alliance with another country just 'cause."

"Oh, yes. How stupid of me. My father's army is lacking in magic users, causing us to lose horribly to the Zendikari. So, dear old dad has decided to marry me off to the Bureaucracy's best and brightest."

"Thank you for the compliment, however, I believe you may come into some trouble there. My mother has decided to marry me off to the democracy. I'm to marry Elspeth Tirel in only a few weeks."

Liliana's smile faded, "Oh, my. I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps we could win your mother's favor?"

"Unlikely. She is too stubborn for her own good."

Josu stood up, "See? He is useless to us! Guards, kill him."

The guards behind Jace drew their weapons. Jace nonchalantly waved his hand. The soldiers froze in place, unable to move.

"What sorcery is this?"

Jace snapped his fingers. Josu fell asleep in his chair.

Liliana stayed silent. Then, began to laugh just a bit, "And I thought setting up a guard would make a difference. Oh well, nevertheless, impressive."

"I'm an archmage. It happens. Do you still wish to discuss negotiations, princess?"

"Even more so, actually. Since dinner clearly won't be arriving for a while, care for a stroll?"

"That'd be fine."

* * *

"Look at us. Heirs of two countries being all friendly with each other. I'd be beheaded if anyone heard about this in Vryn." Jace said as he and Liliana walked along a gravel road through a courtyard.

"Life as a Bureaucrat must be tough." Liliana said.

"Unbelievably. Children are tools, your own countrymen are out for you and emotion is almost nonexistent. I've always hated Noble clothing, too. I prefer middleclass apparel."

"I hear you're a telepath." Liliana said, "Just rumors here, but what's the truth."

"Yeah, I can read minds."

"Does it hurt?"

"Don't think so."

"Can you read mine?"

Jace stopped walking and closed his eyes. He searched through her mind.

"Let's see...you're hungry. You don't want to kill me. The rest of your mind is...strange. I can't read it but I can feel it? I don't know."

Jace felt a sensation. Almost like a texture. Or a flavor? He didn't know.

Suddenly, Jace hit a mental wall. What? It was like a three foot thick wall of steel and Jace was trying to break through it by throwing wood chips. Jace exited her mind.

"How was it?" She asked.

"Interesting to say the least."

"Good Interesting or bad interesting?"

"Just...interesting. I noticed that this isn't the capital of Dominaria. Is this where your family stays?"

"No, this place is mine. I get a personal castle and in exchange, I run the country's best prison."

"Seems fair."

"Speaking of fair, even though you'll be treated like a guest here, keep in mind that you're still a prisoner."

"Still a prisoner. Got it."

"And we're collecting that ransom."

"Fine with me." Jace remained stoic.

"Do care at all about you country?"

"Nope." He responded matter-of-factly.

BOOM!

The ground shook throughout the castle.

"What the hell?" Jace asked.

"The Zendikari! They're here for their prisoners. How fast can you get us to the wall."

Jace grabbed Liliana's arm and teleported them to the edge. The area surrounding was a snowy mountain top, with blistering winds. A magical barrier seemed to keep it warm on the inside.

An army of elementals and elven warriors stood in wait at the front.

"Attention, Liliana Vess! This is Nissa Revane! Heiress to Clan Vastwood! Prepare yourselves, for you have made an act of war by demanding nature's sacred resources in exchange for our people!"


	2. Chapter 2: Zendikar's Advance

Liliana surveyed the Zendikari forces. They had scores of Elementals and legions of Druids that could toss chunks of land without breaking a sweat.

She ordered her warlocks to prepare decay magic exclusively and turned to the elf, "Revane! It is my understanding that your culture heavily believes in the sacredness of all life. By doing this, you bring death upon your people. I will give you one chance to back away before we rain Dominaria's wrath on your soldiers."

Nissa scoffed, "We've been pushing your line back for months! We're giving you the opportunity to surrender."

"Then it seems we just can't come to an agreement." Liliana grabbed a helm offered to her by her servants. She donned the headpiece. It was based around the frame of a stylistic golden headdress. A shell of black material veiled her face in eerie lack expression. Regal spines raised from the top of the helmet in almost a crown-like structure.

Her servants also offered her two coiled whips. They were coated in black dragon scales in such a fashion that the business end of the weapons were lined with hundreds of little blades.

A few men handed Jace his rapier and arcanist equipment.

Liliana fired the first shot. A bolt of dark magic passed through an elemental. The magical creature let out a deep wail before in shriveled and died.

"Kill that witch!" Nissa cried.

"Bring them desolation and death. Take everything they love and make them suffer." Liliana's voice was calm, but filled with a deadly ice.

She leapt off the wall, delivering lightning fast slashes to two large earth Elementals. The Elementals collapsed and Liliana landed with startling gracefulness.

She turned and cracked her whips, sending out ripples of death magic, bringing disease and rot to all in their paths.

Dominarian Warriors drew their weapons and charged the Zendikari. Black clashed against green as red poured from smashing earth into humans and steel goring through bodies.

Liliana coiled her whips and released two rays of black magic, creating a clearing for her that was coated in elven corpses. Nissa drew a blade from her druid's staff and attacked Liliana with a barrage of sentient plants. The elf's eyes blazed green as she commanded the elements.

Jace glanced to his side. Josu was standing next to him, watching the battle unfold.

"You know, Beleren. This battle could gain you favor with us. I suggest you use that knitting needle of yours to do some work." He smiled, donned a helmet and slammed down the visor. He grabbed a marauder's axe and joined the battle.

Jace frowned. He drew his sword and mumbled under his breath, "I'll show you a knitting needle, asshat." He shot himself into the sky with force magic.

The end of Jace's blade sunk into a druid's spinal cord. He extended his hand and blanked the minds of half the battalion. He summoned a small squadron of illusory doubles to take care of the rest. Jace had barely noticed the Druid behind him sneak up behind him until his staff collided with Jace's head. He fell to the ground. His rapier wasn't strong enough to block that staff. The Druid raised his weapon.

Luckily, Liliana's whip wrapped around the druid's torso and ripped him in half. She stood over the fallen archmage and offered an armored hand.

"I can't have you dying on me just yet, Beleren." She said. Jace took her hand and stood up.

"Rrrragh!" Jace shoved Liliana out of the way of Nissa's sword.

"I can take care of her, Liliana. Go help your soldiers."

Liliana nodded and ran back into the battlefield.

Jace and Nissa circled each other, swords crossed.

"So the Bureaucracy is an imperial ally now?" Nissa asked, "I thought you wouldn't be a problem."

"I'm just under duress. You know how war is."

"A prisoner? Join us and we can get you out of here." Nissa seemed earnest enough.

Jace narrowed his eyes, "Hmmm, try again later." Jace went in for a downward strike, however it was quickly blocked.

"How unfortunate. Maybe you could've gone back to Vryn alive." Nissa clenched her hand as green mana resonated within her palm. Tree bark encased her forearm like a buckler.

Jace sensed the two vines slink under the surface before they had a chance to bind him. He unsummoned Nissa's plants and cast a quick veil of invisibility over himself. Unfortunately, Nissa struck in exactly his position.

"Gah!" Jace's invisibility dissipated, "How the hell…"

"I can feel your mana connections to the land. You can't hide from me."

"It appears so. Alright, I can work with that."

Nissa stretched out her hand, signaling to multiple newly formed tree folk to charge forward.

"You're distracted."

"What?" Nissa looked up at the mind Mage.

Jace shined a devious grin before plunging into her mind and taking it for his own in a matter of seconds. Nissa's eyes now glowed blue like Jace's.

His perspective warped in such a fashion that he saw his sight switch to Nissa's mind. In Nissa's body, he shouted for the Zendikari to retreat.

It wasn't long before the Druids evacuated.

Jace returned to his own mind, dazed. Nissa fell, unconscious. Taking over others was always a bother. They just kept fighting him. Jace locked Nissa to the ground in illusory shackles.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Jace cried out as a Dominarian healer relocated his shoulder, "Damnit! Healing magic exists for a reason!" He was in a cell, for security reasons. Emperor Vess overruled Liliana's attempts at letting him free. He was getting his wounds treated on his cot.

The healer shrugged and exited the cell as Liliana entered.

"Your shoulder okay?"

"There are worse injuries among your soldiers."

"That was quite an impressive display back there."

"Revane was annoying me. So I retaliated."

"We received a mana transmission from your mother. She's willing to pay the ransom if we give her proof of life." Liliana handed Jace a small device bordered with runes engraved in gold.

Jace activated the device, "Hello, mother. Yes, I am alive. There's your proof." He turned off the device and tossed it back to the princess.

"Thank you." Liliana said.

"So how long will it be until I go home?"

"Oh, it won't be that long."

"Damn. I was hoping to stay a little longer." Jace crossed his legs.

"Stay? We are your enemy."

"I'd rather be here than home."

Liliana sat beside Jace on the cot, "I know how you feel."

"Yeah? My father was assassinated by his own wife. How messed up is that? I'll bet the only reason she's paying my bail is so I don't spill any secrets. The only child she actually cares about is my sister Tamiyo. I thank patriarchal tradition. If not for it, I'd be on the streets, abandoned by my family and left for dead."

"Josu and I were raised as killing machines. Josu more so than me. My mother's death caused him to ease up, but it didn't help much. In the palace, my father and Josu always have a reason to fight. It's unbearable. I thought I was going insane. Then I was offered this position and it's been great since."

"Your life sounds nicer than mine."

"I suppose."

The two spent a moment in silence.

Liliana broke the silence, "Actually, I could offer you an opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Jace raised an eyebrow.

"Just how much do you hate your family?"

"A lot."

"Enough to betray them?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm asking you to join us. Your talents are priceless and if your country can't see that, they don't deserve you. I promise that a life in Dominaria will a thousand times better than your life in Vryn."

Jace held his chin in contemplation, "What would getting said life involve?"

"How are you in espionage?"

"The best."

"Would it be possible to get some inside access to Vryn's agenda? Our plan is to add Vryn to our ranks, but if you get us these secrets, we'll let you govern it. Not as a vassal or anything, but as an equal ally. Essentially, take your mother out of power."

"I like the sound of that. You know what? You've got yourself a deal."

"Good. Here, take this." Liliana offered him a scrying bowl, "You can contact me with it."

"I will." Jace took the bowl and with it, a new destiny. Not just another bureaucrat, but the bureaucrat that saves Vryn from destruction by the hands of his mother.


	3. Chapter 3: Treachery

Jace was transported with a small squadron of guards and Liliana, who was traveling next to him. He was put in a cage as to not look suspicious.

They were at the drop point within the hour. Waiting there, was a battalion of Vrynian soldiers and a magnificent, grandiose carriage. His mother. Tamiyo was outside, ready to make the exchange. She was wearing sage robes, which was new. Perhaps the Mystics granted her a higher rank. Again.

Liliana had two of her men unlock the cage and release Jace. They brought him to the front of the squad.

"Vess." Tamiyo said, "Are you prepared to make the exchange?"

"Yes. I have your brother. He is...mostly unharmed."

Jace knew Tamiyo hated people who were sarcastic or even remotely charismatic. Evidenced by her grinding her teeth.

"Then, please hand him—" Tamiyo was interrupted by the door of the grand carriage opening. Out from it, stepped a large, oppressive figure, cloaked in blue.

"I will be taking it from here, Tamiyo."

"Mother, I have this under-"

"I said, I will be taking it from here."

"Yes, Mother." Tamiyo backed off.

Jace's mother turned to Liliana.

"I am Ranna, head of the Vryn Bureaucracy."

"I am Liliana Vess, imperial princess."

"Now then, child. Hand me my son."

Liliana nodded towards her guards. They grabbed Jace's arms.

"No. You do it." She pointed at Liliana.

"Why?"

"Just do it," she performed a motion with her hand. Mages appeared from the surrounding wilds, spells at the ready, "Or I will have to eliminate you."

Liliana dismounted her horse and grabbed Jace. She undid his bindings and brought him to the Vrynians.

"Shackle her."

"Mother, what are you doing?" Jace protested, "You had a deal with her!"

Ranna backhanded her son. Jace could here Liliana let ur a small gasp, "Stupid boy! How could you get yourself captured like that? I taught you better!" Ranna calmed down from her little outburst, "Besides, I can't just let an heir to the Dominarian throne get out of my grasp."

Vrynians shackled Liliana. The bindings drained the mana from her, causing her to be severely weakened.

Jace and Tamiyo were loaded into a separate coach. Tamiyo was put in charge of their prisoner. Liliana's shackles connected to a chain that Tamiyo had a grip on.

"You really are an idiot, Jace. I mean, come on! Mother gave you one job. Beat back the Dominarian front, but instead, you get yourself captured."

Jace didn't answer. He just looked down at the ground.

"Say something, asshole!" Tamiyo kicked Jace's shin. He winced.

How about this? Don't call me an asshole and don't kick me. Happy?

"Really? Telepathy? You're so immature."

I don't care. Just stop trying to talk to me.

"Well you know what? I hope mother assassinates you just like our idiot father and then I'll be the heir."

"You shouldn't talk to him like that." Liliana said.

"What?"

"You and your mother constantly belittle and berate Jace like its normal."

"Who are you to say anything? Once we get back to Vryn, I'll sell you into slavery personally. Plus, he was your prisoner."

"Actually, I was looking for an alliance with the Bureaucracy."

"By kidnapping him?"

"I asked him to marry me. And you two obviously don't care what happens to him."

"Jace is being married off to the democracy."

"Well I know that now."

"Moron."

"Do you have to be such an asshole to everyone?" Jace said, frustrated.

"I'm telling mother you were conspiring—" Tamiyo suddenly fell asleep.

Jace's eyes were glowing blue.

He let out an exasperated sigh, "You've no idea how often I do that."

Jace grabbed Liliana's cuffs and telekinetically unlocked them.

"When you leave, I'm going to do my best to try and catch you, so you better make it out."

"Don't worry. I've studied your powers throughly."

"Good. Now go. Make it messy."

In response, Liliana jumped, breaking through the roof of the coach and landing on the roof before taking off into the forest.

"Somebody stop her!" Jace cried to the Vrynian mages. He summoned an illusory battalion of varied creatures and sent them out to "try" and find her.

"Sir, we've lost her." One of the archmages reported back.

"Damnit!" Jace said through gritted teeth.

* * *

Jace rode along a blackened stream. Oil coated nearly all the fresh water sources. Touch it and you turn into some kind of monstrosity. The area around was dead and rotting.

His mother and sister were praying to the gods that morning. Jace didn't believe in gods. If they were real, they were assholes.

Jace kept straying away from Silmot's Crossing, a quaint little village in which he and his family stayed in to avoid assassination attempts that would go unnoticed in the city. Finally, he arrived at a distance where magic couldn't be traced. He withdrew his comm device Liliana had given him and activated it.

An image of Liliana's face appeared, "It's about time you called me. It's been three days."

"Sorry, I had to get back home before I could contact you."

"Very well. What information do you have for me?"

"My mother is making a move against you with a squadron of holy knights from Theros."

Liliana looked troubled, "Holy Knights. Hm. That would be a problem."

"Listen, I can stall them, but you need to gather your forces as quickly as possible."

"How will you stall them?"

Jace inhaled, "You're not gonna like it."

Liliana's expression became stern, "How so?"

"I'm going to have to request that Elspeth and I take a...trip. Bring the holy Knights as a personal guard. Bring her to you."

"What does this trip entail?"

"I think it's better for both of us if I don't share that."

Liliana sighed, "No, no. Let's try something else. We don't have much knowledge about holy Knights. How do we defeat one?"

"Phyrexians oil and a lot of water. Their armor is normally imperishable due to magic, but once that oil is on them, all their armor can rust which leaves them as nothing more than wisps of light. Finish those off with demonic magic."

"We have the oil and magic, but all our water is for drinking and bathing."

"It doesn't have to be clean water. Does it rain much in your area?"

"There's a storm coming that will be here in the next few days."

"That'll do it."

"But what about your people?"

"My mother is sending most of our reserves out, but leaving me behind. If you send an army around them and over to Vryn's capital, I can rendezvous with them and take the capital. I'll give them a fake location when they ask me where I was held."

Liliana stared, wide eyed. She stood in silence for a moment, "Um, wow. You're ready to take Vryn so quickly?"

"Definitely. If there's one flaw with my mother, it's her temper."

"What if she already thinks you'll give her a fake location."

"I'll see what I can do with mind control. Take a small stealth team to a southern village and find my mother's scouts. If they don't come back, she'll suspect you're in that area."

"After we do that, I'll send Josu to hold off the Vrynians then join you."

"Good. It's time we break up this council of people with heads up their asses. Let's take the capital."


	4. Chapter 4: Siege on the Bureaucracy

Liliana arrived at a section of the wall of Vryn's capital that was shrouded in vegetation. There, she and her 500 men met up with Jace, who had used a secret passage to get to the outside.

He raised his hand, signalling them.

Liliana crouched under the brush with Jace.

"What's next?" she asked.

"This passage takes us right to the steps of the Council citadel. If we can get past the Bureaucrats' men, they're at our mercy."

"Let's go."

"Agreed."

Jace led Liliana and her soldiers down a small, narrow corridor lit with only the smallest of lights. Jace had them file into a bigger room. He jumped and grabbed a trap door, pulling it down. He slid a ladder out from the opening and pushed up the floorboards. He scouted the area, determining there was no one there and let Liliana and her soldiers in. The passage led to a large wine cellar. Once all her soldiers were in the room, Jace and Liliana replaced the floorboards.

Liliana directed her men outside and to surround the citadel.

Once they had gone, Jace and Liliana stood in an uncomfortable silence.

"I-" they both started in unison.

"Sorry," Liliana said.

"No, no. You go." Jace insisted.

"I wanted to thank you for giving us this chance."

"I also wanted to thank you. Blame my family."

Suddenly, Liliana's comm device rang. She grabbed it and turned it on. There was nothing but a garbled static. Liliana hit it a few times.

"Princess...leave...teams...missing…"

"The hell?"

A four man team returned to them, "Princess! Thank the gods you're alive. We couldn't reach you over your comm device."

"What's the situation?"

"We don't know. Twelve of our teams have gone missing."

"No." Jace said, "No, no, no, gods dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Liliana asked.

"My mother. She knows."

"What?" Liliana turned to her soldiers, "Evacuate all our remaining troops and out of the city."

As she issued her commands, the ground began rumbling.

"Too late. She's sealing the city."

"We can get over the walls."

"No." Jace grabbed her wrist and brought her outside. He pointed up, "She's activating our lockdown mechanism." A large metal dome slowly pieced together in the sky over Vryn's capital.

"What the hell is that?"

"Once the dome closes, random spires of mana will strike anyone without a Vrynian ward." Jace pointed to four lines tattooed on his face and chin, "I can only protect a small number of you."

Liliana activated her comm, "All troops! Find cover! And do it fast."

Jace placed his hand on the ground as he whispered eldritch syllables. A glowing blue circle of runes drew itself around himself, Liliana and the soldiers. Jace stood and waited.

The dome closed. The city became dark. Then, blue mana, Like lightning struck the ground, turning the city into a giant plasma ball. Multiple bolts were absorbed by Jace's shield, but he still had to counter some of them.

Vrynian guards surrounded the magical bubble and parted ways to let their leader through.

Anger seethed on Ranna Beleren's face, "Treacherous bastard!"

"Your words, mother."

Ranna's teeth gritted. She slammed her fist on Jace's shield, "Come out here and face me, coward! I'm embarrassed to call you my son."

Jace didn't budge.

"Your disobedience will have severe consequences."

Jace stayed silent, but released a blast of bright blue energy. The blast forced his mother back at least twenty feet.

Jace opened a small hole in the shield and propelled himself forward.

Vrynians began converging on him, but his mother stopped them, "No. Let me discipline my child."

Ranna's eyes and hands blew up in blue light, as did Jace's.

Ranna began the duel with a series of fast swipes in the air, creating blue projectiles in the form of slashes. Jace prepared a Counterspell for each strike. He then drew his rapier and held it up like a lightning rod as the bolts of mana that peppered the city struck the blade. He strained as the raw mana channeled into him and through his body.

"Oh no you don't!" Ranna fired a blast of force, pushing Jace back and preventing him from collecting more mana, "You can't stand against me. I'll wipe every rebellious thought in your head."

Ranna shot a bolt of blue magic. Jace rolled over, narrowly missing it. He stood. Ranna threw an overhand spell, a constant stream of magic. Jace did the same, underhanded. As the two spells clashed, sparks and residue of mana jumped from the collision. Jace could feel the intense pricking of his mother digging around in his brain. She was open. He delved into her brain and went berserk, destroying everything he could sense. He felt as Ranna returned to her own mind. In the physical realm, she fell over, unconscious.

His mind was overwhelmed with the gaping hole in his memory. Jace fell to his knees as blue magic began swirling around him. The magic grew into a cyclone of unstable mana as he saw himself shimmer and disappear.

At last, his body dispersed into nothing as he was thrown across space and time.


	5. Chapter 5: Two Minds, One Body

Jace opened his eyes. He was lying on the side of his face. The putrid smell of rot crawled up his nostrils as he stood up and grimaced.

How long had he been trapped? How long had he be encased in time itself? Decades? Centuries? It didn't matter. He'd stopped counting. What he did instead, was watch. Watch as history played itself out.

When Jace was thrown from his world, he was imprisoned. Held in a stasis of time and space. In exchange, he gained access to knowledge. Knowledge unknown to all but the fabric of the universe. He suffered so long under the thrall of overwhelming power. He became something more than human. He made a deal with a devil. And that devil was his mind. He remembered all of it. But he forgot everything before. This world was brand new to him.

His clothes were completely different. He wore a vest and cloak over a long sleeved shirt. All his clothing was navy blue with white borders, buttons and decorative runes.

He scanned his surroundings. All he could for miles was a golden sea of sand. He extended the reach of his mind to its limits. He found one mind. Far, far away. It had a familiar feel to it. It was behind him. Jace began walking towards it.

A large merchant's caravan soared just above the sand of the Blind Eternities. Within, the Empress of Dominaria sat in boredom. She toyed with a black cat with mystifying purple eyes like herself.

The door to her car slid open with a hiss. One of her soldiers poked his head in, "We've arrived, Your Majesty. Shall I feed your pet before we disembark?"

"No, I'm certain an undead cat can take care of itself."

"Apologies, Empress. I hadn't realized it was undead."

"I'm just that good."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Gather the troops and the goods. We leave at noon."

"As you command, Highness." The soldier left the car.

Liliana stood from her throne and stretched her back. She clipped on her fur lined cloak and placed her headdress atop her forehead. She equipped her gauntlets that tipped each of her fingers with a claw that was coated in antimatter.

Liliana left her compartment and exited the caravan.

"Lock up the caravan before sun down. We'll be staying for about a week." Liliana said. She gestured for her personal guard to follow her. The soldiers obeyed, "Come, Let's get this stuff to the Golgari before the afternoon rot wafts in."

The independent settlement of Ravnica had turned into a bustling metropolis in the short two hundred years it had been around. Well, short relative to Liliana's lifetime.

After the day Dominaria had made an unsuccessful attempt at taking the capital of Vryn, she brokered a treaty with Kaladesh. With their help, they found a small fresh water lake with properties that got rid of the Phyrexians oil that plagued the land. There, the five realms agreed to a truce to help establish a colony next to the lake.

For the first year, the colony was prospering. But, after that, demonic monsters began roaming the Blind Eternities at night. They would attack the settlement and eventually destroyed the settlement.

Then, all five nations retreated behind their walls. No wars were fought. No trade occurred. There was no way to defeat the demons.

Eventually, all five countries were dwindling on resources. Dominaria especially. So one night, Liliana left the walls of the empire and made contact with four extremely powerful demons. She asked them for the power to defeat lessers of their kind. They accepted, but asked, in exchange, for a soul. Liliana offered her own, but they claimed it was too weak. Instead, they stole Josu's soul.

Liliana was devastated, but moved on. She realized that just herself wasn't enough to defend a city. She waited. For 600 years, she waited and worked. Technology had advanced from swords, to guns. But, only holy bullet could pierce a demon's hide. Theros made a huge profit off of that. Vryn developed mana weapons, which targeted the demon's essence itself. And Kaladesh used raw Æther to create Armaments. With these advancements, sentient life could once again try to colonize the lake of fresh water. And they did so, creating the city of Ravnica.

Liliana came to the gate to the city. Waiting for her there, was her contact and an acquaintance of hers, Tezzeret. He was born in Vryn, but when his right arm was severed from his body, he went to a Ravnican hospital for a replacement and has been there since. He waved with his flesh and blood hand.

"Tezzeret, how are you?" She asked.

"Fine as I'll ever be."

"Good. I trust the Golgari still value our business?"

"Oh, yes. They loved the pieces you gave to them last time."

Tezzeret walked with Liliana and her vanguard, "I'll be staying here awhile this time. What kinds of hotels are around here?"

"Well, there's a very nice residence in the Second District. I'm certain they'd make room for the empress of Dominaria." Tezzeret stopped at the trade off site. It was the middle of a crowded street.

"Jarad said he'd be here by now." Liliana frowned.

"I think I see him," Tezzeret said, pointing his metal claw into the crowd, "There."

A hooded figure approached the two.

"Nice to see you again, Vess. Do you have the parts?"

Liliana beckoned for a soldier of hers to open a briefcase. Within, were severed limbs and organs.

The figure handed her a slip of minted paper. It was good for gallons of water. Liliana tucked the voucher into the folds of her dress and nodded at the figure. He nodded back and slinked back into the crowd.

Jace continued trudging along in the sands. The sky was a dark orange and purple as the sun set.

He felt minds stir. Below him. He moved before a claw burst from the ground. A creature pulled itself out of the sand. It had no face. Only a mouth with four horrifying jaws that opened like an X.

It screeched and approached Jace. He noticed that other, different, but similar creatures raised from the ground. They snarled at Jace and bared fangs. Jace tried to call upon mana that wasn't there. He search deeper and found a small pool of it. He summoned a Shapeshifting creature that took the form of one of the demons and attacked.

Jace enhanced his limbs with kinetic energy and delivered a swift blow to the gut of the demon in front of him. A ripple of force ripped the flesh off its bones. With this amount of mana available, he wouldn't survive through the night. Jace blasted across the dunes with one push. The telekinetic force behind his foot rocketed him through the desert.

He ripped his way through a demon in his way and kept going. He saw, over the horizon, a silhouette of what looked to be a city.

Liliana heard a screech through the night as she was trying to fall asleep. She looked outside, but the sound seemed to be coming from outside the walls of the city. She got up, put on some presentable attire and went outside, climbing up the wall to look at what the commotion was about.

"Your highness," said one of the Boros soldiers guarding the wall, "This isn't a place for someone of your stature."

"What's going on out there?"

The Boros member scratched his head, "That's, uh, kinda what we're trying to find out."

Liliana pushed past him, "Let me see."

Liliana looked over the wall. She didn't see much except for a few flashes of blue and scared demons running from those flashes. She jumped as a corpse of a demon rocketed into the wall.

She squinted and made out the origin of the blue light. It was a person.

The person was thrown closer to the wall. He was wearing a navy blue cloak. His hands were encased in neuromantic energy. He performed a few somatic movements that looked Vrynian and blasted an incoming demon with magic. The demon screeched, clutching its head.

The man summoned an illusory blade and cut through two demons like nothing. He then slammed his fist on the wall, "Let me in!" He shouted. He sounded young. Maybe mid twenties.

"Who are you?!" A Boros captain shouted.

The man, instead of answering, skewered three demons on a phantasmal spear.

"I asked for your identification!" The captain yelled.

"My name is...Berrim! I'm an outcast from Vryn!"

The captain turned to his subordinate, "Open the gate."

The soldier ran and typed in a code to a keypad. The gate slid open with a hiss. Berrim ran into the city, blasting away one last creature. The gate quickly slid closed.

Berrim heaved a few heavy breaths as the Boros soldiers provided for and interrogated him. Liliana couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

A particularly beefy Boros member joined in the conversation.

Liliana gave up on trying to hear them and returned to her room. Tomorrow, she would meet this stranger.

Jace kept his head down and hood up in Ravnica. Luckily, the Boros let him into the city legally. He winded through the flowing crowd of people as he stared in awe at the technology surrounding him.

Sleek bikes flew through the sky, doors slid open by themselves and the common people wielded magic-like abilities through devices.

Jace slipped out of the river of people on the streets and reevaluated his situation. The only thing he remembered before his time in stasis, was dueling his mother. The failed attack. The disappearing. The girl. Why couldn't he remember her? To him, it was like the attack was only a few days ago. He could just barely remember her name. Liliana. That was it. No last name, no profile. Nothing. Just a name.

Jace's magic felt stronger than ever. The world was an endless fountain of mana that only he had access to. Unrestrained power. Or at least, that's what he was promised. He was weak. A massive portion of the power he accumulated over half a millenia was missing. Even so, the portion he had left was more than any archmage could learn in a lifetime. First things first. If he wanted to do anything, his ambitions required all the resources he could get his hands on. Jace stopped in the middle of the streets. He summoned a fog so thick, that he still had trouble seeing after casting a true sight spell. Next, he spawned an army of duplicates. Each of them summoned an assault rifle and a suit of carbon fiber armor. Jace led his clones out of the fog and towards the Orzhov Syndicate church.

Liliana's guard burst into her room.

"Your majesty, we must go!"

Liliana looked up from a book in surprise, "Why?"

"The Orzhov are under attack and they threaten us."

"Under attack? By whom?"

"Ghosts, your majesty."

Liliana scoffed, "Well, then. It can't hurt to go see these 'ghosts', can it?"

Liliana stood from her chair and left the room.

"Prepare a small squadron of guards to escort me."

The soldiers bowed.

Liliana stepped outside to see a river of people all running in the same direction: Away from this attacker. Liliana went down the back roads and found her way to the Cathedral. She was amazed by what she saw. An army of illusions. No human should be able to summon that many without dying of the strenuous effects. A storm of roiling clouds approached with the illusory army. One man, who seemed corporeal could be seen making his way to the Orzhov. He stopped and generated blue mana in his palm and hurled it at the doors of the cathedral, blasting them open. Only a few seconds afterwards, a cyclone of blue crashed through the windows of the first floor and broke through the others, consuming the cathedral itself. She couldn't let this go on. Orzhov was a Dominarian establishment.

Liliana reached beneath the surface. Corpses. She grabbed hold of them and raised them from the dead. An army of undead. She followed after the illusionist.

Inside, was the man with his arms outstretched as magic left his palms and spread itself out. She didn't need to speak to get his attention. He already knew she was there. He turned around to face her. His eyes radiated blue light.

 _Who are you?_

His voice spoke in her mind.

"Only an ambassador who wants to keep her embassy."

 _Oh. Sorry about that. Trust me when I say it's not personal_

He stretched his arm out. A wave of vertigo hit Liliana like a hurricane. She clutched her head and her zombies fell limp. She fought the distortion in her sight and regained control. She sent her undead after him. The zombie attempt to grab at him, but he had made himself incorporeal. He walked through the zombies towards her.

He knelt down next to her, "Mind telling me your name, little raven. I can't seem to get through to your mind."

"Liliana Vess. Yours?"

"You...You're her."

"Huh?"

"You're the girl."

"Girl? I am older than anyone else on this planet."

"Not quite. Do you remember me?"

The man pulled his hood down. His eyes stopped glowing.

Liliana squinted as she looked closer, "I can't...I don't remember."

He drew closer, "Don't you know? I'm Jace. From Vryn."

Liliana took the chance and swung her palm into his temple, "Mind Rot!"

Jace's eyes filled with inky blackness as he slumped over.


	6. Chapter 6: Eternity

Jace gasped as he awoke. He rolled onto his side. His breath was fast.

"What the hell? Where am I? Mother! Where is she?"

"Seriously?" A soothing voice spoke from the desk of the bedroom he appeared to be in.

Jace could barely see. He tilted his head, "L-liliana? Liliana, where is this." Jace's sight cleared, revealing the older woman before him, "Oh my. I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. Would you mind telling me where I am?"

"No, you got it right the first time. It's me. Liliana Vess."

"Really? You look...different." Jace said, looking her up and down.

She placed a hand on her hip, "See here's the issue. I still don't know who you are."

A man opened the door and spoke to Liliana, "The Golgari decided to push their scheduling meeting to tomorrow. That okay?" He had a metal arm.

"That's perfect. I have to deal with this guy." Liliana gestured in Jace's direction.

Suddenly, a vision flashed before his eyes. The same man...torturing him. Tezzeret.

Jace's eyes lit blue as tattooed lines appeared that ran down his face and chin. He stood up and grabbed Tezzeret by the throat.

"Tezzeret!" his voice boomed. Jace threw him through the door. He followed, lighting his hand up in magic.

"Jace, what are you doing?!" Liliana started to get up. Jace telekinetically shoved her back.

"Jace isn't here right now. You'll have to schedule an appointment." Jace said as he grabbed Tezzeret by his forehead and slammed him against the wall, "I should rip apart your mind right now."

"P-p-please! Don't hurt me!" Tezzeret cried.

Jace dropped him, "But I need to save my strength. Plus, Mother Eternity would be able to find me if I ruined her timeline."

The glow and tattoos disappeared from Jace's face. He leaned against the wall with apparent strain in his face, "What the hell?" he breath.

"What the hell was that?!" Liliana shouted.

"I-I don't know."

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

Jace's eyes glowed blue again, "Liliana," His voice was deeper, "You need to separate me from this body! Maybe it could've contained a lifetime of magic, but not ten! It can't hold my power!" He grabbed Liliana's arms, "Help me. Please."

The glow stopped. Jace blinked, dazed. He let go of Liliana.

"How did I…?"

"Your eyes.." Liliana said, "Whenever they glow, you become someone else. You think it's schizophrenia?"

"Um...no?"

"What the hell is that monster?" Tezzeret scrambled back, away from Jace.

"What happened?" Jace turned to Liliana.

"You maybe launched him into a wall and tried to rip apart his mind."

"Oh. Whoops."

"So more on this whole alternate personality thing. Can you maybe try calling him out."

Jace's eyes glowed blue again, "No need. I can come out whenever I want. Unfortunately, Jace's body can only hold so much of my power."

"What are you exactly?" Liliana asked.

"I am the Jace after he disappeared. You may remember him from a couple centuries ago, when he tried to get you into the Vryn capital."

Liliana gasped, "My gods, you're right. I remember."

"After he vanished, I was imprisoned in a pocket dimension outside of space and time. I spent centuries in there, being force fed magic. It wasn't long before I was one of the most powerful mages in this world. There you know me and I'd like to keep this body around for as long as possible." Jace's eyes stop glowing and he slumped over.

Liliana flicked his head, "Hey. Jace. Get up."

"Ah!" Jace's eye shot open, "Gods damnit."

"So I got a somewhat story from other you and I recall a Vrynian boy who hated his country so much he sided with me."

"You remember?"

"A Vrynian boy from eight centuries ago."

Jace blinked, "Eight centuries? That's a joke, right?"

"Nope. Eight hundred years ago, Dominaria led a failed attack on the Vryn core states."

Jace's expression carried the weight of what he'd missed, "Eight hundred years...what happened?"

"That's what I intend to find out." Liliana placed a hand on her hip, "How much do you know of this new and improved Blind Eternities?"

"Not much." Jace scratched his head.

"You'll figure it out."

* * *

Gideon Jura opened his eyes. All around him, was inky blackness. Hadn't he just been on his deathbed? Was this death? He looked down at himself. He was no longer spotted with age. He was young and strong again.

He spotted four other bodies floating somewhat close by. Slowly, they began to become conscious. He tried to call out to them, but when he opened his mouth, no noise came from it.

"Greetings." A disembodied, echoing voice boomed, "I am Mother Eternity."

Gideon coughed as he once again tried to speak. He could, but his voice was raspy, "What have you done with me?"

"I have revived each of you so you may complete a mission for me. Unfortunately, your number are at two thirds the strength they should be. I want you to find these two and bring them to me, as they have broken the laws of this world. One has cheated death. The other has had his loyalty to me come into question. Even after I gifted him his power." The voice continued, "I have chosen each of you, as out of all my time reigning over this world, you four are the most skilled fighters and mages I've seen. Gideon Jura, you are the ultimate soldier and a well versed tactician. Chandra Nalaar, your prowess for magic is unlike that of any other. Nissa Revane, your connection to the land in a priceless ability that allows you to contact me in the Eternities. Ajani Goldmane, your capabilities as a commander bolster the hearts of your followers unlike any other leader.

"I will send you eight hundred years into the future to destroy the two outliers. Once you do, I will allow you to pass on to the underworld. Good luck, soldiers."

White light flooded Gideon's vision. The sun bore down on him. The sky was blue. Towers of metal rose up all around him. He looked down at himself. He was clad in full body armor unlike anything he'd ever seen. It covered him head to toe, but felt light as a feather.

"What the—"

"That is power armor. A recent technological advancement."

"Where am I?"

"Ravnica, a city established as an independent colony. I will be sure to give you basic information of the new world later. For now, find the others. Jace Beleren is on the move."

* * *

"A revolution?" Liliana placed a hand on her hip as Jace fiddled around with a disc shaped bomb.

"Yes. A revolution against the divine."

"I'm not gonna say I appreciate deities, but how exactly do you plan on subverting a god?"

"I don't remember much, but I know I was trapped in space by an entity called Mother Eternity. She recognized my potential for power and sent me as her hand into the world. I don't like the idea of being the chess piece. I much prefer to be the player. As a result, I have committed treachery against God herself."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in. Okay, but what specifically do you want to bring down?"

"In order to bring down Eternity, I need to destroy the current world and rebuild it. Not literally. When the Phyrexians ravaged the Eternities, Mother Eternity began her reign over the world. Anyways, the best way to do that is to draw upon the power of the last world."

Liliana's expression showed concern, "Are you saying you intend to take control of the Phyrexians?"

"No, no, no. That would mean certain death. Rather, dip my toe in the water. There's a specific power that I want. They have it." Jace finished his work on the bomb and attached it to a sash with a few other devices and slung it over his left shoulder, "And here we have my suit."

"Your suit?"

"My alter ego." Jace moved his hand over his face. As he did, a mask that covered his head appeared. It was all black, save for to glowing blue eyes and a few marking on either of his cheeks that matched up with his tattoos when he was the other version of himself.

Liliana had payed little attention to what he was working on. He wore a long coat with carbon armor plates fused in places like his shoulders. His forearms were equipped with a pair of navy blue metal gauntlets with patterns that lit up with electric blue.

"What are you calling yourself?" Liliana chuckled.

"I'll leave it up to the public." Jace dissipated the outfit and was once again wearing a Sage's garments and cloak, "Well, I'd better get out of here. If my eight centuries with Eternity taught me anything, it's that she's already onto me. See you in the new world, maybe. Oh and tell your buddy Tezzeret that I know his secret and that I'm sorry."

Jace swung a bag of necessities over his shoulder.

"Guess this is goodbye, huh?" Liliana leaned against the wall.

"Yeah...bye, I guess."

Liliana nodded. Jace left the room without another word.

"What did I have to do here again? Oh yeah. Trades with the Golgari." Liliana frowned. How utterly boring. The last century, in fact, had been excruciatingly boring. It seemed the only time her life got interesting for the better was when that man was around her or demons were popping out of the ground. She dispelled the thoughts from her mind. She still had an empire to run.

* * *

Jace refrained from rounding the corner. Mainly because of the flash of light in the middle of a route that no one should've been using at this time. He peered around to see a rather bulky man in white and gold power armor talking to himself. Or talking to Eternity.

"You're getting paranoid, Beleren. Just walk by like a normal person and you'll be fine." Jace told himself.

He walked past the stranger. He couldn't help but eavesdrop. It was mostly just half finished questions involving the words what and how.

"Who's Beleren?"

Jace stopped. He waited.

"Hey, you!" The man turned to him. Jace broke out into a sprint. He had jack in the realm of endurance, but if he could lose him early, that would be perfect. Unfortunately, the man was much faster than he thought and tackled Jace to the ground. He drew back his fist and sent it flying.

Jace threw up a shield of force and slammed his fist into the side of the man's head before taking off. He threw up an illusory disguise.

The man still managed to look straight at him. No doubt he was under Eternity. Jace filled his fists with magic, lifting the veil. Jace instead veiled himself in his coat and mask.

The man deployed four whips made of light from his power armor and activated the helmet. He charged forward. Jace leapt from his path and shot an illusionary rope at his ankle, tripping him. The man regain his balance and lashed out the four light whips at Jace.

He evaded the attack by propelling himself upwards with energy at the last second. He landed on the other side of the man and made a run for it. As he ran, he tilted his left wrist downwards, causing a screen to appear in front of him from his gauntlet.

"Computer, infiltrate the nearest dealership's security network and unlock all vehicles for a total of two minutes." He said as he checked a map to confirm the time needed to get there.

The man attacking him was only a few steps behind.

Jace rammed his way into the parking lot of a vehicle dealership and broke into a sand cruiser. He turned his finger into an illusory copy of the key and started it, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. The vehicle revved and sped forward, out of the parking lot.

He turned himself and the vehicle incorporeal before phasing through a flurry of buildings and eventually, the city wall. Jace sped through the desert as fast as he could, making sure he could lose Mother Eternity's eyes.


	7. Chapter 7: Means to Power

Nicol Bolas scowled, "I thought I was done, Eternity."

Mother Eternity's disembodied voice sounded particularly aloof today, "No One's ever done when I am all."

The dragon crossed his arms, "I've defeated you once. There's no reason this boy can't. He reminds me of myself."

"Are you saying I should just let him go?"

"I'm saying you should carefully evaluate who you want to crush in your desperate attempts to remain in control of the world. You've had quite the ball since Phyrexia happened. At this rate, I'll be the next in your position."

"I refuse to let a deviant like you run this world."

Bolas scoffed, "As if your hands are clean of blood. Get off your high horse."

"I will not stop until I get what I want. And you will not interfere."

"I don't care if the boy lives. I'm just interested."

* * *

Liliana stretched out as her cat leapt from a table to follow behind her. It could tell she was going to leave. While Jace was unconscious, she slipped a tracker on him. She was going to follow him to wherever he was staying now.

She commanded the undead pet to stay and quickly packed a bag full of food and water. She had discarded her skirts for a catsuit, leather jacket and boots. She grabbed a hover bike helmet on her way out and slammed down the visor.

Liliana mounted a personal hover bike and sped from the city under the cover of night.

"Stop!" A blockade had been formed in her path. No doubt the Boros, "You are an unauthorized traveler here. Identify yourself."

Had Liliana revealed her identity, she wouldn't be allowed to leave, thanks to the overly worrisome Azorius. Instead, she continued forward without slowing down.

"Hey! Stop!"

Liliana gathered a fistful of necromancy and sent the magic careening through the blockade. She rode over the wreckage.

As she sped through the streets, Liliana caught a glint of orange light in her peripheral. A woman in a flaming suit of power armor caught up with her, flying on jets of fire.

"You heard them right? Pull over." She said.

"Who are you?" Liliana asked.

"The woman who just cut your brakes."

Liliana checked brakes. Sure enough, they didn't work. Liliana leapt off the bike as it collided with a building in an explosion.

"My real name's Chandra Nalaar." The woman land across from Liliana.

"Nalaar? You died centuries ago." Liliana gathered black mana.

"So I've been told. This lady named Mother Eternity or something like that revived me."

Liliana's eyes widened under the polarized glass of her helmet, "Eternity did this?"

"Yup. And she sent me to kill you." The top of the woman's head, her forearms and shoulders lit ablaze with fire. The two glowing red eyes of the armor narrowed as she lowered into a grappling stance.

Either of Liliana's hands shot out a misty black ball of death magic that, as it flew through the air, became a smoky clawed projection of her hand.

Chandra let loose a blast of flame beneath her, dodging the attack. From the air, she unleashed a flurry of fire bolts and flaming projections of weapons.

Liliana ran for cover behind a stone wall and covered her head as the fire blasted the wall apart.

"What's a necromancer without corpses?" Chandra asked, "A death Mage with mana deficiency."

"I don't need corpses to be powerful," Liliana summoned an aberration. A horror unlike any had seen outside the walls of the city. It was a monstrous shadow with claws like swords and hungry, blood red eyes, "Kill."

The horror sprung forward at Chandra, grabbing hold of her foot and pulling her from the sky. The beast pinned her to the ground, under it. It went in to bite, but Chandra caught its jaw. She kicked it across the face and stood up, sending a barrage of fire at it.

For its size, the horror was shockingly fast. It dodged each of her fire balls and went in to attack again. This time, Chandra was ready. She blasted a white hot jet of flame that seared through the aberration

Liliana delivered a fistful of necromancy to the pyromancer's chest, knocking her back with a gaping, corroded hole in her power armor.

The attacker growled and was clearly beginning to lose her temper.

Liliana pulled a knife from her side and began whispering an incantation. In response, Chandra laid her hands in front of her and chanted, herself. Liliana's incantation caused the blade of the knife to glow with purple runes. She cut her hand with the knife and let the blood fall to the ground.

Chandra's spell created an army of small, red magic circles. Her voice grew in volume as she finished her spell. Her eyes snapped open as small bolts of red energy blast from the circle at Liliana.

Unfortunately for her, Liliana wasn't there any more. A searing pain ran down Chandra's back. She turned around to find Liliana. Her body was a maze of lines of dimly lit purple. Purple demonic magic created sigils that acted as wings, claws and horns, just a bit away from her body.

Liliana had raked one of the claws on her hand down her back, evidenced by the rapid bleeding.

Chandra staggered, clearly affected by the pain. She lit her fist ablaze and rushed forward again.

Liliana seemingly disappeared. Chandra felt two hands grabbed her shoulders and a knee pressed against her spine. With two sickening cracks, Chandra roared as her shoulders were broken. She crumpled to the ground.

Liliana dissipated her magic and summoned a makeshift hover bike made from shadow. She left while she could.

* * *

Jace rummaged through his supplies and produced a sonic explosive. If his theory was right, he should be able to find the entrance to the Pool of Knowledge. Jace fiddled with the circuitry and pressed the device into the sand of the wastes. He activated the bomb and hid in his stolen cruiser.

The bomb went off, sending a shockwave out across the sand and knocking the cruiser back a few feet. For moment, silence filled the desert. Then, the sand under Jace began to crumble. The stone fell apart, revealing a small stairway. Jace grabbed a gun and followed the newly revealed path.

The stairs seemed to descend a good 200 feet before Jace reached a small chasm. The stone was dark grey like the rough terrain of Jace's time. Black ichor dripped from stalactites on the ceiling. Phyrexian oil. Jace placed his mask on his face and sealed it. The caves continued forward into a hand carved stone room. The dust caked walls were covered in ancient text with pictographs of conflicts prior the forming of the Blind Eternities. Jace wiped away the dust and read some of the inscriptions.

During the Great Siege, which was part of a war that today's people barely knew about, this pool had been used to preserve the knowledge of Mirrodin, the world before Phyrexia. When...Jace couldn't read the name, but the context made them seem important. When this person discovered the pool, they infected it with Phyrexian oil and instead used it to harbor evil spirits. The pictograph depicted two monstrosities Jace assumed to be the spirits. One was a small humanoid female attached to a large jaw with spidery legs. The other was a hunched over creature with a long, spindly neck and torso. Its body adopted gritty and sharp steel.

Jace turned to the front of the room. On a pedestal, was a keypad of sorts. Like the rest of the room, it was made of stone. There sixteen keys and each one of them had a sigil carved into it. As far as Jace could tell, they were letters. It was a password. He recognized some of the sigils from the inscription.

Several names were related to this location, so Jace tried them. Progress Engine, Lumengrid and Gitaxias failed to work. Then, he remembered an experiment written about in an ancient journal dug up when he was about six. The Meldweb, they called it. Jace typed in the name. The sigils on the keypad lit blue as the wall behind it rumbled. Stone ground against stone as the wall slid open.

Jace lit a small, blue light in his hand and observed the dark room in front of him. It was another cave dug by hand. Drops of Ichor fell from the ceiling. Jace set multiple floating illusory fires along the edge of the chasm. A series of chains on pulley systems were scattered around the edge.

The Inscription told of many spirits held here, but one stood out. The spirit of an Evil dragon that lived even before Mirrodin. They said he was impervious to Glistening Oil and powerful enough to control reality itself. The Ichor didn't corrupt him, but it was able to weaken him. If released, his power would be harbored within a mortal female. As part of the pact, the female would make the man closest to her a vessel for the dragon's consciousness.

Jace's brain singed with pain. His body deteriorating. If he didn't get this power soon, his mind would dissolve. Jace stepped away from the inscription. He followed the pulley system to a starting point where the chain was fused to the ground with igneous rock. Jace shot the chain. The system creaked, running the chain through it.

"Jace?" Jace whirled around.

"Liliana, what the hell are you doing?!" Jace cried.

The chain pulled a glass case from the pool of Ichor in the center of the cave. Within the case, was a large golden disk with a pair of horns on it.

A ringing sound echoed throughout the chasm, forcing Jace and Liliana to their knees. They cried out in agony as the glass case vibrated and shattered. A black and purple ball of energy swam through the air with lightning speed. The energy ran into Liliana's chest and disappeared.

She fell back, dazed. She sat up again, unharmed.

"Are you okay?" Jace asked.

Liliana massaged her temple, "Yeah, I'm fiiiiiAAAAAHHHHH!" Liliana began screaming as purple light shone through her eyes like spotlights. She crossed her arms over her chest, grabbing at herself in pain as a labyrinth of marks appeared on her skin through her suit.

A blast of energy emanated from her, knocking Jace backwards onto his back.

"M-my contract!" She screamed as Jace noticed blood welling up in the lines as the purple line disappeared.

It was replaced by runes crawling up her arms in a series of repeating sigils of an ancient text Jace couldn't read. They shine with gold light as they climbed down her back and legs, making their way around her neck, up to her eyes and under her bottom lips.

"He's-he's...No! Stop it! Rrraaagh!" Tears welled up in Liliana's eyes as the golden light took over her eyes as well. Liliana lurched. She fell over, unconscious and covered in dry blood.


	8. Chapter 8: Trust

Jace hadn't been able to count the number of times he had woken up in a new place this week. He was lying on a cold, stone floor. He looked up to face a giant golden lizard, sitting atop a throne. No, a dragon. He had serpentine horns that matched the disk that was submerged in the pool of ichor.

"Welcome, little mind mage." The dragon's voice boomed.

Jace stood up and prepared for combat. The dragon gave a piercing stare and the magic that danced on his fingertips vanished. Jace looked down at his hands in surprise.

"Attempting to best me in magical combat is a very stupid idea." He flashed a fang filled grin.

"What do you want?" Jace asked, his voice sharp with paranoia, "Where's Liliana?"

"Ah, yes. Liliana is safe. Not here. Once we have our talk, I'll release her." The dragon wove his claws together, "You see, Mother Eternity is hindering something that is very important to me."

"Said thing being what?"

"My ascendancy to godhood. Each time the Blind Eternities shifts into a new era, a new God is chosen. After the Mirran rebellion and the Weatherlight Crew stopping the spread of Phyrexian oil, Mother Eternity took over in place of a Pantheon of gods known as Planeswalkers. They defeated the Phyrexians, but ultimately it resulted in their deaths. I am the last surviving Planeswalker. Or at least, the only one who knows what they are."

"What do you mean?"

"Countless with potential for godhood have lived and died. You are one of them."

"I'm...a god?"

"Well," Bolas tilted his claw back and forth, "Kind of. But don't get any ideas. I could crush your mind with a glance. To sum it up, this era is dying out. Eternity is desperate to remain alive."

"So what do you want me for?" Jace asked.

"Eternity intended to make you a harbinger of her preservation. But instead, you revolt against her influence by splitting your mind in two. The old teenaged you is pretty much dead. That means you have no influence from Eternity. I want you to be a vessel for my ascendancy."

"You want to possess me? No way." Jace stated firmly.

"No, no, no. I'll be too busy putting my plans into action to possess you. So, I made a contract with Liliana. Have you ever heard of Geas?"

"Um, no."

"Old, old word. A few million years ago, when this place was called Earth and a whole other God ruled over it, a small country discovered a power called Geas. Miniscule compared to what I'm offering, but that world had no magic. Ugly time to be alive. Essentially, the power worked like this: A goddess would place an oath upon a man, granting him power, as long as he fulfilled his side of the bargain. My powers offer a similar deal."

"Wait, that was written on the inscription of the…"

"That's right. Liliana is your contractor. All you must do is allow my power to inhabit you. Bring forth the next world and you can defeat Eternity. You kill Eternity. You become a king. And you get Liliana as your queen," Bolas stuck out his hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Jace narrowed his eyes as he thought over the offer. He slowly outstretched his hand, "Deal."

The moment Jace touched the dragon's claw, green fire enveloped him. It quickly dissipated. He appeared on an altar. His limbs were bound with magic. He looked down to see a pit of golden fire. Jace squinted his eyes as he looked across from him.

"Liliana?" Jace asked, "What the hell is this?"

Liliana turned to him. She was wearing rather primal cloth and her eyes glowed with golden brilliance, "O draco magne," Liliana began chanting as she walked towards him, holding a dagger, "Tuis ut hoc donum virtutis humilem vasa pretiosa."

"Liliana, what are doing?"

Liliana approached him and placed a soft hand on his face as she drew a little too close. She continued her incantation, whispering it into his ear, "Et ut producat illum ad novum mundum tui benedicant nomini avatar of agonia prolixius."

Jace realized he was wearing no shirt when he felt the cold steel of the dagger run up his abdomen. Liliana's arm wrapped around his shoulders before the metal plunged into his chest. He gasped as blood spilled out of the wound. Liliana left the dagger there, still whispering in his ear.

Pain seared all throughout Jace's body as every muscle in his body tensed. Jace screamed. Suddenly, the pain stopped. The dagger seemed to pull itself out from his chest and fell to the ground. The wound was healed.

Jace only heard the last of Liliana's spell, "For as long as the we exist, you belong to me. And I belong to you."

With the incantation finished, Jace felt a surge of power. Liliana released him as a pair of horns appeared on his chest. Jace broke the magical restraints.

Jace laughed as he felt mana rush into his body without limit, "Bring it on, Eternity! I am unstoppable! Undying! Transcendent! This moment marks the ignition of my spark. I am a Planeswalker!"

Columns of raw mana blasted from Jace's palms. He stopped the flow of magic and panted. He turned to Liliana.

"So this is the deal the dragon offered." Jace smiled.

"Yes. We are the king and queen on the chessboard. And Bolas is the player. You're fine with this?"

"If there isn't someone greater than you, you don't exist. The purpose is to get as far above as possible. And this is pretty damn high."

* * *

Gideon was faced with three other champions. Like himself, they had been chosen by the god of this world.

"So long as we stand, we shall watch over the gate to a dark future." Gideon said. He raised his right hand, "For peace and justice, I will keep watch."

Nissa raised her hand, "For all life on this world, I will keep watch."

Ajani raised his, "Until all have found their place, I will keep watch."

Chandra hesitated, "This Bolas guy wants to take over the world, huh? If it means that people can live in freedom, yeah, I'll keep watch."

Eternity spoke in all their minds, "Here, we form the Gatewatch. The force that will fight malevolent forces in steed of myself, Mother Eternity, the one, true God. Go forth and enforce what is right and defend those who cannot defend themselves."

Each member of the newly formed Gatewatch placed their fist on their heart in salute.

"Find Beleren and Vess. Either end the threat they pose, or have them join with us."

* * *

Jace abandoned all plans he had made. He no longer needed to lead two revolts at the same time. He no longer needed to rely on the Phyrexians and their poison. All he needed was Bolas.

He and Liliana were returned to an alleyway in Ravnica. They both stared.

"Did you see…" Jace started

"Yeah. I did it on my own." Liliana said.

"Well, that's, um..."

"Awkward to say the least, I know."

"I don't think we should let that bother us. We're eight hundred years old. Even when we were sixteen, there was sort of a sexual tension between us."

"True. It's just...wow, that was weird. And I experienced all eight hundred years, so that says a lot."

"So, are there any little bonuses in our deal that Bolas didn't mention?"

"Well occasionally, I'll have to go on...business trips, I guess. Update Bolas on our progress, but that's more of a downside." Liliana paused for a moment, "Oh yeah, I should probably give these to you."

"Give what-" Jace was cut off by Liliana placing her hand on his forehead. Blue flashed in front of him. He was in the middle of a scene. He saw himself. A lifetime of memories.

He was a blackmailer. An assassin, a runaway, a lover, a wanderer, a leader. A hero. His name was Jace Beleren. Telepath and Planeswalker. He was poor and forced to blackmail the wealthy. Then he was approached by a familiar face. Tezzeret. He became an interplanar assassin. He ran from Tezzeret with a friend after being tortured within an inch of his life. He met Liliana. Fell in love. Then, she broke his heart with her betrayal. He destroyed the Consortium. He wandered about the planes for a good two to three years. He came back to his home. Ravnica.

From there, he became the Guildpact and ruled over Ravnica. Before long, Liliana showed up at his door again. Before she could request his help, Gideon Jura took him to Zendikar. He fought the Eldrazi. Became part of a team. Liliana joined after helping him defeat Emrakul. They fought a war on Kaladesh. He faced against Bolas on Amonkhet. He was defeated, mind wiped and sent to Ixalan.

Jace stared in awe at the life before him. Suddenly, the memories stopped and he returned to the alleyway.

"What the shit?" Jace stared down at his hands.

"We lived in one of the worlds before." Liliana said.

"This is really, really confusing." Jace frowned, "I remember a whole other life. A life where you and I were lovers."

"Do you still feel the way you did in that past life?"

"Yes and no." Jace shouted in frustration, "This is the split minds thing all over again! I have two mem-"

LIliana pressed her lips against his. Jace was surprised, but didn't pull away. When Liliana finally did, she whispered to him, "That life and this one have the same opinion about you: You talk too much. Yet somehow, it's cute."

Jace would bet everything he was red as a beet at that moment. He was out of words to say except one, "Why?"

"Because we're the king and queen of the future world. We're the only ones we can rely on. Is that kind of relationship not the utmost token of trust you can offer someone?" Liliana turned away from him, "Now stop being flustered. We have a war to win."

"R-right." Jace stood and followed after Liliana.

Jace smiled at a thought. Trust.


End file.
